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June 6, 2004
Review: KanguruMicro Drive+ Expandable USB Flash Drive
In a world where plain-Jane USB flash drives are given out as trade show tchotchkes, the KanguruMicro Drive+ Expandable USB Flash Drive deserves some additional attention. Beyond having a name that is arguably larger than the device itself, the KanguruMicro Drive+ differentiates itself by allowing the owner to use it in two different ways.
First, by virtue of its internal flash RAM, the Drive+ can be used as a stand-alone USB flash drive. The one sent to me held 64 MB, but they are available in capacities up to 512MB.
Second, since the MicroDrive+ has a Secure Digital/Multi-Media Card (SD/MMC) slot, one is able to use it as a flash card reader and expand the available storage almost indefinitely (by using additional cards). The 256 MB SD card I tested with the Drive+ worked just fine.
When inserted into a USB port, the Drive+ shows up as two new items: one fixed volume (the internal flash memory) and one removable disk (the SD card slot). SD/MMC cards can be inserted and removed from the Drive+ while it is inserted in the USB port. There is also a "lock" switch on the side that will render the internal memory unwritable (but still readable).
The unit itself weighs 20g and is reasonably small, but certainly not among the smallest USB flash drives available. The two photos below show the Drive+ as compared to a Treo 600 (top) and to US quarter, British pound, and 1 Euro coins (bottom).
The drive seems sturdily made, as it passed all our normal GearBits tests:
Creak test (a.k.a. the Gadgeteer test): No creakage
Drop test: Survived a 5-foot drop onto hardwood floor with no ill effect.
Bite test: Survived minor gnawing resulting in zero damage (below)
Spray test: Getting spattered with water (not submerged) and then toweled off, the unit still worked flawlessly
In terms of usability, the device gets mixed marks. The Drive+ interfaces well with Windows XP and is dead-simple to operate. However, there are many instances where the unit is simply too big. When plugging into a USB hub where the ports are side-by-side lengthwise, the Drive+ is simply too wide; it ends up taking up 2 or 3 ports just due to its girth. This problem is exacerbated if an SD card is inserted into the Drive+, since the SD card protrudes from the side of the Drive+ by roughly half an inch.
Similarly, the device is too thick to be used in a place where, as is typical on most PCs, the pairs of USB ports are stacked next to each other with only a small space between. The thickness of the Drive+ makes it unable to be plugged in if the other port is already in use (see below).
The Drive+ does come with a 3' USB cable that will remove these obstacles, but I really don't want to have to carry around a cable just for my USB flash drive. A lanyard is also included in the package.
Overall, the concept is really appealing and its Plug-and-Play functionality works quite well. The fact that it is such a space hog when it comes to tightly packed USB slots, and doesn't actually fit in some situations, is a bit irritating. In terms of value, it's a tough call. While a 128 MB Drive+ can be had for under $70 online, it would be very easy to get a similarly sized flash drive and an SD card reader as separate devices for significantly less than $70. Add to that the fact that it is only USB1.1, and not the much faster USB2.0 that many flash drives and card readers are today, and the value for the money becomes fairly questionable.
In the end, I'd give the KanguruMicro Drive+ a 3.5 out of 5. The concept is really good, but the pricing, slowness of USB1.1, and the physical size of the unit leave me somewhat unsatisfied.